


Shifting Sadness

by takeunobow



Category: Muse (Band)
Genre: Death, Gore, M/M, Shapeshifter, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Suicide, Werewolf, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:27:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25825891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takeunobow/pseuds/takeunobow
Summary: Summer Prompt for Writers of Cydonia. Trope: Slow Character Death. Keywords: Sunset, Ice-Cream.
Relationships: Matt Bellamy/Dom Howard
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	1. The Sunset

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writersofcydonia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writersofcydonia/gifts).



Everything changed the day the drop of blood fell.

Matt sat with Dom on the end of Teignmouth pier, both of them eating ice creams and staring out at the sunset. Their legs dangled over the edge, the calm water below lapping at the wooden structure. Seagulls flew dangerously close to them, eyeing up their food hungrily.

Dom's hand felt warm within his own and he squeezed it gently, causing the blond to smile.

"This place may be a shithole sometimes, but at least it's a shithole that has you in it." He said humourously, taking a bite of ice cream and getting it all over his lips. Matt chuckled and took his hand from Dom's, wiping the best of it away.

"The sunset really brings out the soft side of you, eh?" He teased, shuffling himself closer to the other man and putting his head on his shoulder. A seagull suddenly swooped down, preparing to make off with Matt's ice cream. He growled at it and, involuntarily, his eyes glowed yellow for a second. The bird hastily retreated, and with it went the rest of the annoying creatures that had settled nearby.

"Your wolf thing sure does come in handy sometimes." Dom said, smiling at him and making him blush.

Matt had been a wolf shapeshifter since his 10th birthday. Unfortunately, his family had conveniently neglected to tell him about his genetics and he had been in for a surprise when he woke up that day in a wolf's body.

Dom had taken it well. They had only been kids after all, and the other boy had thought it to be 'pretty cool' that his friend was a shapeshifter. With his help, he had learnt to control that side of himself and for that he would be forever grateful.

"Yeah, I guess. I hate being allergic to chocolate though." He snickered and Dom put an arm around him comfortingly.

"Eh, it's overrated honestly. When we travel the world we'll get to try loads of food heaps better than _chocolate_." He said, putting an emphasis of disgust on the last word. Matt grinned and looked back down at his cone.

A spot of red appeared suddenly, already beginning to mix with the white of the ice cream. Frowning, he touched a finger to his nose, thinking he had a nosebleed. Oh, if only he had been so lucky.

Dom looked over at him at that moment and wished he hadn't. Matt caught his gaze and looked back into his horrified expression with fear, touching his fingertips to his cheeks and feeling something running down them. Pulling his hands away again, he stared down at the blood now covering them.

Matt's eyes were bleeding.


	2. The Forest

Dom drove erratically, desperate to get Matt home. The man was currently hunched over in the seat next to him, shaking uncontrollably. A thin layer of fur was present on both arms and his hands were covered in the blood that was still dripping from his eye sockets.

"Matt, please, you have to tell me what's going on!" He exclaimed fearfully, touching a hand to the man's arm. Matt involuntarily yanked it away and a low growl reverberated throughout the car.

"I-I don't-" The shapeshifter stammered gravelly, voice slurred from the fangs now present in his mouth.

Dom swerved into their driveway and shut the engine off, jumping out and quickly unlocking the house. As he turned back, he became fearful. Matt's door was wide open.

The man was no longer in the car.

***

"Matt?!" Dom shouted, sprinting towards the forest next to their house. He couldn't have gotten far in that time on two legs, and it didn't look like he had the strength to transform fully.

A whimper, almost like that of a dog, came from nearby. Dom rushed towards it, seeing a faint crumpled figure sitting at the base of a particularly large tree. Blood was seeping out of multiple points on his face, and it covered most of his arms now.

"Dom, I - I..." Dom put a finger to the other man's lips and sat down next to him, pulling him in close.

"I can't lose you Matt." He sobbed, burying his face in Matt's hair. The other man snuggled in closer and whimpered.

"I - I should have told you earlier." He croaked out, looking up at Dom with blood filled glowing eyes. "Wolves don't live long. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologise. We'll find a way to figure this out." He said firmly, stroking the other man's head. "Then we can go on our tour of the world together. You can finally try something tastier than chocolate." Matt giggled pitifully.

"I'd like that." He murmured, snuggling ever closer to Dom.

"And we'll find the most amazing forests for you to run around in, and..." Dom trailed off, feeling a chill all of a sudden. Something had changed.

Matt was completely still, his eyes glazed over and staring straight ahead.


	3. The End

Dom stared out over the sea at the sunset once again. He dangled his legs over the end of the pier, listening to the waves. The ice cream in his hand was slowly starting to melt, dripping down onto his fingers. With his other hand, he clutched the heavy metal object in his pocket.

"Are you enjoying your -" He stopped himself, turning to the empty spot next to him. No one was there, and hadn't been now for a year and a half.

He had never travelled the world, like he said he would. Never gone to find something tastier than chocolate. And he most definitely had never gone to find the world's most beautiful forests. 

There was no point in any of it. Without Matt, life was just a meaningless void of apathy.

He threw himself into the water, feeling the metal weight pulling him down below the surface. His lungs tightened, forcing him to breathe in, the feeling bringing pure bliss.

And then...nothing.


End file.
